TextExpander. Allows you to make system-wide keyboard shortcuts that expand into blocks of text. For instance, on my system, typing aaaa expands to my complete mailing address. You can set up shortcuts that work only in specific apps.

Slidepad. Neat little text-editor that slides on and off the screen via a keyboard shortcut. I used it for on-the-fly, temporary notes.

INFO MANAGEMENTEvernote (free). A fantastic app that lets you keep track of any sort of information. It can sync to multiple computers, the web, and many mobile devices (including the iPhone).

APP LAUNCHINGNamely (free). Allows you to launch any Mac app via the keyboard. It's a lightweight alternative to Quicksilver, which always bogs down my system.

Fluid (free). Allows you turn web pages into stand-alone apps. I use it so that I can easily launch gmail into its own window.

DEVELOPMENTFlash Builder 4 (formerly Flex Builder). This is my main coding tool. I used to use FDT, which is terrific, but Flash Builder has now outgunned it. Flash Builder is the best AS (and MXML) editor out there.

Tofu (free). Paste text into this cool tool, and it formats the text into narrow columns, which makes online reading much easier. It's the closest you'll get to a Kindle on your computer screen.

MISCEigenclock (free). Replacement for the system clock. Includes a dropdown calendar.

Caffeine (free). Lets you temporarily disable sleep, so that your monitor doesn't power down. Useful if you're watching a long video.

Default Folder X. I seriously don't know how I lived without this. It wraps open, save and save-as dialogs inside a feature-packed window containing shortcuts to folders you need to access quickly. You can define any shortcuts you want.